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One of the common complaints I hear from patrons is, "I thought libraries were supposed to be quiet!"

Usually, the person saying it is speaking at a volume at which everyone within a fifteen yard radius can hear the pronouncement. I never quite know how to respond to this one...is that a question, or an accusation? The unstated question being, "why aren't you [Mr. Librarian] doing anything about all this noise!?"

Fall is fast approaching and if crinkling leaves, early sunsets, and morning fog put you in the mood for some thrilling, chilling, and otherwise spooky reads, check out some of these Bram Stoker Award nominees and winners. The Bram Stoker Awards are given each year by the Horror Writers Association to original works written in English and have a variety of categories, like Novel, First Novel, Young Adult, and Graphic Novels.

Please join us this Saturday, October 15, in the Bainbridge High School Commons at 2:30 pm, when we will share an afternoon with best-selling author Alexander McCall Smith. The author of the popular and beloved No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series will read from and discuss the latest installment, Precious and Grace.

Looking for fun and inexpensive Halloween-related activities for your family this month? Well, look no further than your local library. There are Halloween and Autumn themed events happening at many of our Kitsap Regional Libraries throughout the month of October, and, here’s the best part, they’re free! As you are planning your schedule of ghoulish entertainment, don’t forget to add one (or all!) of these library events which are sure to raise your spirits this October:

We have many STEM programs throughout the fall this year. You'll find kids in the library building K'NEX bridges, designing video games, bird-watching, and participating in numerous additional programs helping develop science, technology, engineering, and math skills.

“Children need to see themselves reflected in books,” says Carla Hayden, the new Librarian of Congress. “Books can be mirrors, and they can be windows.” In this video she describes her favorite book as a child, one she loved because the little girl in the story was so much like her.

Using the library is a great way to save money! Being able to check out or download books, audiobooks, CDs, DVDs, and magazines for free instead of buying them is great, but there are even more ways to utilize the library and keep money in the bank.

The leaves are falling, school has started, and you've got a brutal list of assigned reading books a mile long. Looks can be deceiving though—did you know that some of your assignments might have been banned books at one point in time? That's right! The readings your instructors are encouraging you to explore are well worth the effort because many of them were penned by literary rock stars who broke all the rules!

Fall is a magical time of year. Students of all ages return to school, nights lengthen, the weather changes seemingly overnight and life returns to a somewhat more predictable rhythm (especially if one has school-aged children).

Fall is also an excellent time to try/learn something new. Our society tends to emphasize new things in January, but fall can be a wonderful time of new beginnings as well. After all, learning something new can be especially rewarding as the nights get colder and longer.

School is back in session and teachers aren’t even easing us back into homework season. It’s alright though, the Library’s got you covered and we are always open at www.krl.org. Let me walk you through a few of our great online homework resources.

Awarded to the best original novel written in English, the Man Booker Prize has been awarded annually since 1969. Originally, the prize was limited to books published in the UK, but in 2013, eligibility was expanded to include any new book originally written in English. The judging panel for this prestigious prize has just announced their Shortlist. Check out their choices or some of the previous winners below!

In this day in age, there are lots of “talks” we need to have with our children. So many in fact, I often get overwhelmed (as a parent) and paralysis sets in. But one talk that has been tried and true for some time is the sex talk. Looking back at my childhood and adolescence, the sex talk happened once around puberty and that was it. Our parents took a deep breath and had at it, usually a boy with his father and a girl with her mother. I think both kids and parents wanted it to end as fast as possible, never to be mentioned again.

If you know a teen or young adult (age 16-25) in Kitsap County who wants to share their interests, learning and passion to work with youth in their community, please share with them the following announcement.

My first Bumbershoot was in 1989. The highlight was Ry Cooder with David Lindley, Nick Lowe and Flaco Jimenez. It was in Key Arena with a very small crowd and I was in the center with my Bumbershoot buddy John, leaning on the stage barriers.

I’ve been to many, many Bumbershoots since, mostly attending all three days. The weather doesn’t always cooperate. I remember it raining so hard one afternoon that I signed up for a Seattle Times subscription just so I could get the free umbrella, which inverted on the first moderate gust of wind. Oh well.

With your library card you can access online practice tests for the SATs, the ACTs, and much more. There’s no cost to you for this service, plus you can take the practice tests multiple times, get your results immediately, and access test-taking tips. Taking a different exam? Many of these databases also offer similar tools for other types of tests, including academic exams like the GED and GRE, and professional and licensing exams.

School’s back in session, and with it the library says “goodbye” to another successful Summer Learning program. But our STEM activities for kids, tweens, and families don’t disappear with the sunshine. We youth services librarians have been busy preparing a fun-filled fall for those who want to tinker, play, and learn in a low-stakes environment outside of school.

Sending a child off to school can be a very tough time; not only for a kid, but for a parent as well. Whether it is daycare, preschool, or kindergarten, it’s a big step and with it comes a flood of emotions, questions, hesitation, and sometimes even fear. It may be challenging to navigate this sea of uncertainty, especially at a time when what you want above all else is for your child to be well prepared and feeling happy.

A dilettante is someone who dabbles in a given field. They are non-experts, they are amateurs, and they will not usually receive a paycheck for their interests or their work. Nevertheless the dilettante is drawn to explore and learn what they can about a given subject through study, practice, and experimentation. Perhaps you are a dilettante woodworker (whose chairs are never perfectly straight), or a dilettante gardener (who has killed a cacti or two). Maybe you like to sculpt with clay, but your sculptures would never earn a spot in a museum.

School is just around the corner! Many of us are doing back-to-school shopping and errands, setting up schedules and seeing our new classrooms. It's a great time to remember the library's phenomenal online resources for learning. Whether you're 5, 55, or 105, you can use any of the Homework Help databases.

Overwhelmed with health and wellness advice? Facing some scary health treatment decisions for yourself or a loved one? Suddenly thrown into the role of a patient with a chronic condition or a caregiver? I have just the book to calm troubled waters and put you back in control.

Before Pokemon Go and Munzee, there was geocaching. Often described as a real-world treasure hunt, geocaching is a fun way to explore the world around you with family, friends or by yourself. More than 2.5 million geocaches exist and can be found all over the world, in parks, underwater (known as divecaching), on hiking trails, inside buildings—almost anywhere and in many different forms.

Science can be scrumptious, especially when your experiment results in delicious ice cream. We recently did this project at the Kingston and Little Boston Libraries as the grand finale for our summer STEM programs and it was a big hit.

Enjoying ice cream in the shade of the Port Gamble S'Klallam Longhouse

This week, we welcome special guest blogger, Shelby Barnes, graduate of the BiblioTEC Intern program at the Sylvan Way Library, to share her insight into what going back to school means after graduating high school:

As we edge toward the end of summer (North Kitsap School District students start school again on August 31) library staff has been delighted by a steady stream of children who have completed their ten hours of reading for Summer Learning. Nothing makes us happier than getting to talk with the sometimes shy, sometimes not so shy, young people who patiently wait in line in order to proudly show staff their completed trackers and receive their prizes- a book and a Kitsap County Fair ticket.

Harry Potter is all grown up and the subject of a new play by Jack Thorne and John Tiffany. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the sold out, two part play, currently showing at the Palace Theatre in London is based on an original story by J.K. Rowling. The play picks up 19 years in the future from where the original series left off in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Harry Potter is now a dad and working at the Ministry of Magic and his son, Albus is a student at Hogwarts.